This invention relates to thermal recovery of hydrocarbons from a subsurface formation surrounding a wellbore penetrating a consolidated hydrocarbon-bearing reservoir.
Originally tight reservoir rocks in consolidated formations which suffer from authigenic clay cementation exhibit low permeability that impedes the flow of oil and gas into a wellbore penetrating such reservoir rocks. Conventional matrix stimulation techniques have not been effective in increasing permeability.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide for a new thermal recovery technique that improves the inherently low permeability of such light reservoir rocks by effecting a change in the mode of occurrence of authigenic clays within the rock thereby stimulating oil and gas production from the reservoir.